


A Light At The End Of The Hall

by punto_y_coma



Category: Anastasia - Flaherty/Ahrens/McNally
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-06-01 12:57:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15143552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punto_y_coma/pseuds/punto_y_coma
Summary: It was terribly cliché, Olga thought, that the ballerina should have a crush on the guy in combat boots and leather jacket; the guy that knows how to box and how to shoot a gun.Fluffy one-shot. Olga lives and Gleb gets his act together.





	A Light At The End Of The Hall

**Author's Note:**

> We interrupt your regularly scheduled Dimya fluff to bring you some Glolga.  
> I had to get it out of my head *shrugs*

He couldn't even remember why he had gone to that performance of Swan Lake. He couldn't remember how he had ended up backstage, with an enormous bouquet of pink peonies for her. He couldn't remember anything but her. Her chestnut hair and her soft smile and her compassionate eyes...

"You're too kind", she thanked him, burying her nose in the bouquet and smiling. "I hadn't gotten flowers in years."

"I find that hard to believe", he said simply.

"I'm Olga", she extended her hand and he took it in both of his own.

"Gleb Vaganov."

~

Olga didn't understand why this guy’s guy was at the ballet, but he had flowers for her and he had that roguish smile and he only had eyes for her.

"What do you do, Gleb?" she asked.

"Security, it's the family business" he said somewhat apologetically.

It was terribly cliché, Olga thought, that the ballerina should have a crush on the guy in combat boots and leather jacket; the guy that knows how to box and how to shoot a gun. But that was not all that Gleb was. He was clever and frank; he couldn't flirt to save his life and he had an offbeat sense of humor that she found terribly endearing.

~

The first time they kiss was also the first snowfall of the season. The wind rose around them, making them shiver. Gleb put his own scarf around Olga's neck and she wanted to thank him, tell him that he made her feel safe but all she could do was stare at him with half lidded eyes. The air around them felt electric. Olga stood on her tiptoes and grabbed the lapels of his coat to kiss him. He leaned into her touch, cupping her face with one hand and holding her waist with the other, their embrace so tight that it lifted Olga's feet off the ground. It was soft and comforting, like coming home.

When they parted, their noses and cheekbones were red from the cold and their breaths came out in visible huffs of vapor.

"You're truly something, aren't you?" Gleb said, trying not to sound too impressed.

She laughed and laced her arm in the crook of his elbow. "Take me home, pretty boy."

~

Olga hadn't heard from Gleb for days. They had been seeing each other almost every day for weeks but now her phone calls were ignored and her messages were left unanswered. She worried; his job wasn't as dangerous as being in the military but still…

She visited his office one afternoon and found him. She sat across from him, waited for him to talk first.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, quiet embarrassment interweaved in his voice.

"I was worried. I didn't hear back from you and-"

"Olga, you don't need to do me any favors", he sounded devastated.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't have anything to offer. I'm older than you, I have no prospects-"

"So you decided to ghost me?" she could feel anger rising inside her but she kept it at bay for the moment.

"You deserve better", he said simply.

It would break Olga's heart if it didn't make her so angry. "You don't get to choose for me, Gleb", she hissed. "You don't get to decide what's best for me. I'm not a child", she laughed bitterly. "If you don't want to be with me, that's fine. But don't hide under this pretense of protecting me. _I chose you_ ", she accentuated every syllable, leaving no room for doubt. She stood up and left.

As she walked away, Olga wiped tears of anger for the corners of her eyes, drawing trails of mascara on the back of her hand.

"Olga!" Gleb caught up with her on the street.

"What?"

"I'm sorry", he said, slightly out of breath.

"We can't keep doing this", she said with exasperation. "You, second guessing everything, and me, having to convince you that I like you", she declared. "You're being a jerk and making me doubt myself but _I do like you_ ", she walked to him and held his face in her hands, looking straight into his eyes. "You're absolutely infuriating. You hide behind all that bravado. You make me wish I hadn't met you because I want you _too much_ … I'm not going anywhere", she punctuated the end of the sentence with a kiss full of defiance. _Say I don't care about you, Vaganov, I dare you_ , she challenged him, tangling her fingers in his hair.

"I like you too", Gleb said smiling against her mouth. "I'm sorry."

"Don't choose for me ever again.”

"I promise."

~

The girls from the company loved to tease Olga about her new boyfriend.

"No wonder you kept him a secret", said one of them, peeking through the door of the dressing room they shared. "He's cute."

"Quiet, innocent Olga got herself a bad boy", quipped another. "Who would have thought?"

Olga just rolled her eyes and let them have their fun. Let them ooh when he helped her put her coat on. Let them call him "her bad boy". She knew the truth, he wasn’t half bad.

~

"Tell me about your family", she asked one night after dinner; her head was on his shoulder, his arm holding her to his side.

"My father was in the military; he had a big sense of duty. You know the type", he smiled sadly. "He went to the war when I was a kid and he didn't come back quite the same... My mom... I think my mom loved him so much it consumed her", he sighed. "They were good parents, they took care of me. That's all you can ask for, really", he turned to look at her. "What about you? What's your family like?” he asked in a casual tone, knowing well it was a big deal for Olga. She hardly ever discussed her past; it was like she was running away from it. He still hoped, though. He hoped she would let him in eventually, that she would give him more than a blurred photograph and a fake last name.

"We were very close", Olga paused, thinking about leaving it at that but, for the first time in a long time, she wanted to talk about them. "My mom, she was a very proper lady, wanted me to be just like her” she started hesitantly, gaining courage as she went.” My dad was involved in politics; he liked to be surrounded by big names. He was very sweet to me and my siblings. There were five of us; four girls and one boy. We loved each other very much."

"Where are they now?"

"They all died a few years ago", Olga said in a small voice. "They would have liked you."

Gleb held her tight and kissed the top of her head. "My dear Olishka", he whispered into her hair. So sweet and warm, so fierce and unafraid, much stronger than anyone Gleb had ever encountered. He realized there and then that he loved her.

~

It was late at night and Gleb was talking on the phone in the hallway, his deep voice carried to their room. Olga was sitting at the edge of their bed, brushing her hair.

"I know. I didn't RSVP because I thought it was a pity invite", he let out an awkward laugh. "I'll see if I can get time off from work, Anya. I'll let you know. Yeah, I promise."

"Someone from work?" asked Olga when he entered their room.

"An old friend of sorts, I met her when I was in the military. She got herself in trouble and needed to leave the country. It's a very long story. I was supposed to bring her back to Russia but in the end I just couldn't do it", there was a hint of shame in his voice and Olga realized that this was probably the first time he confided that story to anyone.

"Would you ever do that?" Olga asked absentmindedly. "Leave the country, start over somewhere else?"

"I don't think so. I wouldn't mind the starting over bit if you came along", he smiled. "But Russia is my home. Why would I leave my home?"

"Yeah", Olga sighed. "My mom always talked about me marrying some Polish guy or moving to France and finding a husband there... All I ever wanted was to stay”, Olga shook her head, trying to focus again on the present. "So you helped her escape?"

"Not really", he chuckled. "I just looked the other way and lied to my superiors when I got back."

"You helped her, you old softie", she said sweetly and she turned to press a peck on his lips.

Gleb smiled. "Anyway, she lives in Paris now and she's getting married. She sent me an invite. I thought it was out of courtesy but apparently she wants me there", he shrugged. "She was always a little bit odd."

"She sounds lovely", said Olga.

"You remind me of her sometimes ", he said, taking out his phone, scrolling through pictures. “That's them", he said, handing her his phone. The screen displayed a young couple; a tall, brown-haired boy and a small, red-haired girl. They were both smiling and the girl was excitedly showing an engagement ring to the camera.

Olga screamed. "Gleb! That's my baby sister! Oh my God, that's her!"

"The dead one?" he asked in confusion.

"It's Nastya, I swear!" she cried. "I need to see her. Oh, God! She’s alive! And she's getting married!"

~

Ten minutes after her phone call with Gleb, Anya received a text.

> _Is it okay if I bring a plus one?_
> 
> _G.V._

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos, comments and incoherent keysmashes are encouraged. Come talk to me at my tumblr (@aralisj) if you want :)


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